睡

shuì

垂 + 目

HSK 3.0Level 1

Definitions

shuì (verb) to sleep

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 目 represents the meaning and 垂 represents the sound.

Semantic: 目 Phonetic: 垂

About

睡 is a phono-semantic compound combining the eye radical 目 (mù) on the left , marking the character's association with the eyes , and the phonetic component 垂 (chuí) on the right. This composition vividly evokes the drooping of heavy eyelids when someone struggles to stay awake. In its earliest usage, 睡 described the act of nodding off momentarily from fatigue, particularly while sitting up, rather than sleeping in a recumbent position. Over time, it came to mean sleep in any posture, replacing the older general terms for sleep.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我每天都睡觉。

Wǒ měitiān dōu shuìjiào.

I sleep every day.

他正在床上睡觉。

Tā zhèngzài chuángshàng shuìjiào.

He is sleeping on the bed.

睡觉对健康很重要。

Shuìjiào duì jiànkāng hěn zhòngyào.

Sleep is important for health.

我昨晚睡得很好。

Wǒ zuówǎn shuì de hěn hǎo.

I slept well last night.

如果你困了，就去睡觉。

Rúguǒ nǐ kùn le, jiù qù shuìjiào.

If you are sleepy, go to sleep.

他睡过头了，所以迟到了。

Tā shuìguòtóu le, suǒyǐ chídào le.

He overslept, so he was late.

在火车上睡觉很不舒服。

Zài huǒchē shàng shuìjiào hěn bù shūfú.

Sleeping on the train is very uncomfortable.

她睡眠不足，整天都很累。

Tā shuìmián bùzú, zhěngtiān dōu hěn lèi.

She lacks sleep and is tired all day.

Related Characters

Component: 垂

Component: 目

睡